Tech Tidbits

Here are a couple of great podcasts for those interested in technology:

http://buzzoutloudpodcast.cnet.com/ - Buzz Out Loud "Buzz Out Loud is CNET's "podcast of indeterminate length," featuring Tom and Molly's entertaining, sometimes caustic, and always skeptical take on technology news. The daily show features commentary, guests, and phone calls and e-mail from our listeners." [description from CNET Podcast Central(http://www.cnet.com/podcast-central/)]

http://feeds.feedburner.com/cnet/gadgettes - Gadgettes "Girl gurus Kelly Morrison and Molly Wood give you the latest on hot gadgets, pop-culture tech, and shopping advice--and answer your gadget questions, to boot. Every Friday the Gadgettes offer help in choosing and using your devices, plus DIY projects, humor, snark, and vicious attacks on small, cute, helpless little pink gadgets." [description from CNET Podcast Central (http://www.cnet.com/podcast-central/)]

These podcasts are dynamic, fun, full of up-to-date info, and often irreverent. I would recommend them to technophiles teen and up.

On to a New Path

Well, the 23 Things are over, but learning goes on. I am pondering the new direction for this blog. I like the idea of journaling what I am learning, so I think I may continue doing so. I will probably confine it pretty closely to those topics I am studying for one reason or another and maybe even try to relate them to my work in the library. Yet, I must now state to be perfectly clear that this is my blog and these are my musings. I built it during the course of the 23 Things as a work assignment, but as always, the content is mine. I do not speak for the library--as always, I speak for myself.

"Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." Maggie Kuhn (activist and person worth learning more about-- who should be honored with more than just a bumper sticker)

Thing #23 - In Conclusion and on to Lifelong Learning!

Wow! Are we on Thing #23 already? It's been a wonderful journey. I have learned so much, and I have added many tools to my box for myself and for helping family, friends, and patrons.

My favorite discovery was podcasts. I had heard of them but never listened to one, and I was quite pleasantly surprised. Now, I realize what a wonderful opportunity they are, as I am primarily an auditory learner.

Speaking of surprising, I was impressed with the ease of Google Docs and can definitely use it in my job. In fact, we did, and it worked out quite well. Keep it Green!

The 23 Things was really a fantastic experience, and the best part for me was getting to share it with my colleagues, especially at other libraries. I got to know people I otherwise would not have, and I learned things from others whom I may not encounter in my daily life. There was even an author who commented on my blog--how often does an author write to us? I love the interactivity and connectedness. I think going through a challenge like this (a positive one!) together brought us closer and improved morale. We had the chance to see all who participated stretching themselves and learning and helping each other, and it was very noticeable. I know we do that in our daily work, but I don't know if we see it as clearly.

I would love to participate in another learning experience similar to this one. The self-paced format and having to seek out help and help others added to the learning. The blogs were a good way to learn and share progress. I would look to add one more cohesive bond, maybe a single location question and answer wiki for participants or a one-time chat? Other than that, it was perfect to me. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard.

Thank you all for sharing this journey. I hope to see you again on the lifetime learning path.

Thing #22 - NetLibrary

Well, I have perused NetLibrary. It was very easy to create an account. After that, I don't know. I didn't try to download any items, but I'd like to when I get my MP3 player. In fact, I am really looking forward to having audiobooks in a nice portable format.

NetLibrary's selection seems fairly diverse for the amount of books they have. I was happy to see everything from classics to horror. One thing I do wish, though, is that there were book descriptions. Since there is a limit (though a high one, in my opinion), I would like to know more about a book before I check it out. Hopefully, this will come with time.

For audiobooks, the check out time is 21 days. And here's the kicker, you can't return one early. Still, you should be fine, especially if you stagger your downloads. I am looking forward to checking out an audiobook titled Demon Theory.

There are some restrictions besides the limit. You are not allowed to burn a CD of your downloaded material, and you will need an updated media player, probably Windows Media Player.

In summary, patrons should like this if they are familiar with downloading audio--if not, they will need to become familiar first, I think. After that, it should be easy. I am very happy to know we have it and look for it to grow.

Thing #21 - Podcast Puzzle

Do you ever get a feeling just by looking at something that it isn't all above board? I mean, most of us realize by now that the nice Nigerian fellow that keeps emailing us does not, in fact, exist. When we get those random faxes about $99 luxury vacations or mostly free health insurance, we know they belong in the shredder. So, why do I get such a bad feeling about two of these podcast-finding websites?

Web design being one facet of my professional writing education, I am somewhat alarmed by the design of Podcast.com and Podcast Pickle. When most of your page is comprised of glaring, flashing ads, especially when some are of the click on the so-and-so to win $$$$ kind, it doesn't scream professional, let's put it that way. Also, I had to jump through hoops to access the podcasts, especially from a search.

So, I think I'll stick with Podcast Alley. I found one there called Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena that I added to my Google Reader. Then, using NPR's site, I was able to find more podcasts that I would like to hear. I think this will be my favorite way of searching--going to websites that interest me and looking for podcasts. I added NPR: Books to GR, too.

Overall, this Thing has been very trying. It took a long time to figure out how to access the podcasts. Then, I realized that some podcasts that I liked required software download to listen unless you used Google Reader to get to them. Hmmmm...

You see, I didn't really care for Google Reader, but now I can see it has the positive side of allowing me to listen to the podcasts of my choice without downloading special software. Points for Google Reader.

I don't know how much I will use this personally, but I can see it being a fine way for libraries to send out info, either internally or externally. Some people learn best through auditory methods. With podcasts, you are no longer limited to a written style and a mix-up of styles could only add to learning and retention.

P.S. - NPR is a great resource. You can use it to find podcasts on all sorts of subjects, and I think it would be a fine site to recommend to patrons.

Thing #20 - There's Something for Everyone on YouTube

I am really enjoying exploring YouTube, though it took me awhile to figure out how to post the videos to my blog. Even then, I am still a bit confused about citation. Whereas, Flickr makes sharing and usage rules very clear, I could not find similar info on YouTube. Since I am not familiar enough to know whether that means it is essentially a free-for-all or not, I will cite as carefully as I can.

I lucked out and found one library's channel that had a variety of good informational and fun videos. Upon watching the nicely done State of the Library interview from May 2008, from the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Video courtesy of Allen County Public Library (http://www.youtube.com/user/askacpl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3i1OntTcMw, I thought this could work for libraries everywhere. I am not sure if this was filmed by an internal public relations department, if it was contracted out, or if, perhaps, it was part of someone's educational project (I can see excellent opportunities for journalism/broadcast interns). My other thought was, here's a library that is losing 1.5 million dollars in funding by 2010; yet, the librarian discussed moving from the school of thought that the parts that make up the library are books, buildings, and bodies to now thinking in terms of 4 B's: books, buildings, bodies, and bytes. Hooray for Library 2.0!--oh, wait, this library believes it is on 4.0 now. Having watched some of their videos, I can certainly credit them with that. Check it out if you have a chance.

I especially like the monthly staff training videos, "Geek Out, Don't Freak Out"

Video courtesy of Allen County Public Library (http://www.youtube.com/user/askacpl)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_HA2Q7rW7I

This, to me, would be such an easy and wonderful staff training tool. Staff could watch the video as many times as needed to learn specific procedures. They could then refer back to it as often as necessary to refresh their skills or look for answers to specific questions.

Finally, I must add my own bit of fun and stress relief with a search result for "Lolcats".

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3jDfSqtG2E4

Video courtesy of G4TV - http://www.g4tv.com/

Thing #19 - Web 2.0 Awards

Wow! It took me awhile to narrow this one down to the right choice for me. There are many tools on this list with which I am familiar, and I didn't want to blog about those because I want to learn something new. Then, I started clicking on winning sites I had not visited before. On many, I could find little I felt would be useful to me, but I can certainly see how they will appeal to others. I left those alone, too. I found what I thought was a promising language learning tool, but it would not say directly how much it would cost, and I never fully trust that approach.

At long last, however, I found it, a site I had not seen before that I can clearly see myself using and recommending. http://colorblender.com/ This is a simple tool that allows users to create a color palate quickly and easily with the drag of a mouse. You can either edit the main color and let the program calculate the rest or you can edit each color directly. When you have something you like, you can either let it be saved to your current workstation via cookie (not the greatest option, I think) or export it in a .act file for Photoshop or a .eps for many other applications or you can send the link via email.

I think this application would be useful for creating palates for web and other digital design applications. Each color is accompanied by its html code, too. It could be useful in the library because you could create a palate from something that inspired you, even if you could not check out the item, you could retrieve the palate you created based upon it. It would also be handy as a quick reference tool for providing html color codes. Of course, monitor displays will vary, but I think many consumers will be satisfied with the results of this tool. Even folks who are seeking palate inspiration for non-digital use may find it here.

Thing #18 Cont. - This is My New Google Docs Document

This is My New Google Docs Document

I Love LOLCATS!

I love LOLCATS. LOLCATS are the bestest evar!!!1!!!! How could anyone live without LOLCATS? You should try LOLCATS--they are healthy for you, fat-free, and calorie-free. In fact, you could probably burn calories looking at LOLCATS because you will be laughing so hard! So, head on over to I Can Has Cheezburger and see what you are missing!!!

Here's a free sample:

Thing #18 - Google Docs Collaboration Celebration

So, I hope you can see my Google Docs document above.

It was super easy to create, even adding images and publishing it to the blog.

Well, before I got to Thing #18, I was actually ahead of myself on this one because Sarah set up a collaborative project for us at Cashiers and we are using Google Docs. We are using it in our analysis of the On-order Report, in conjunction with the new Demand Management procedures. So, I can see already how this will be useful to libraries and even my own job. Besides, I love the green aspect of it. No printing out the 20 or 40 page document and carrying it back and forth only to have to recycle it in a week or so.

This was the first time I used Google Docs, and it was so very easy--no trouble. It was easy to add collaborators and easy to find, open, and edit documents, too.

I can see using this quite a bit for collaborative work. I may use it for portability of certain documents, especially as I re-enter graduate school in the fall, but I will have to really check out the editing options in depth to make sure I have access to all I need. Either way, I think this is a very handy tool that will definitely benefit libraries.

Thing #17 - Fontana Wiki & much learning

The problem, to me, with Wikis, is the same one that I am having with all of the 23 Things--I want to do more, learn more, see more...

I am a curious person by nature, and I LOVE to learn. So, when I view someone's blog or Wiki, etc., I always find something that I want to know more about. Often this leads me tangentially to more than one new learning experience.

How could I look at FRL's Wiki without having to check out some of the hikes our staff members recommend? I even had to look for a link to my favorite hike, which lead me to having to read an article about its future, which led me to more info, which left me with a question I will have to research further. All that in a couple of clicks. I could happily click away all day.

But I have to work, so I will say that editing this Wiki was no problem. Adding the links was very easy--the program even erased the duplicate "http://" if you happened to just copy and paste your link and that's a very nice touch. Can't wait to see more entries, but I will have to.

Are Libraries Healthy?

Following up on my own wish for statistics on the health of libraries from an earlier post, I am trying to find good statistical evidence on the current relevance of public libraries.

First, I am limiting my search to public libraries, as they are my area of concern. As a graduate student in English, I have my love of academic libraries, too, but I choose to focus on the public libraries both because I work in one and I feel that these are the libraries that will be most affected by the social change in information sharing.

Distressingly, I can see that this is going to be a slow undertaking. The library system in which I work owns very few books on the subject (including one from 1996, which is too old to contain the information I seek). Traveling to the nearest academic library won't help, as I have checked the online catalog there and nothing very recent or relevant popped up.

Surprisingly, I am finding very little in the way of statistical information via a quick search on the internet, either. Not surprisingly, the majority of returns from my quick internet search were opinion pieces.

I can see I will have to widen the net. No problem, I love a good challenge. However, I am a parent, I work full-time, and I am preparing to re-enter the university in the fall to finish my graduate degree, in addition to taking online classes this summer. So, I am going to get to the bottom of this, though it will be a slow, graudal descent :)

P.S. - I greatly appreciate any suggestions, too.

Happy Retraction

It's good news to me that Mr. Crawford, author of Balanced Libraries : Thoughts on Continuity and Change, has commented to tell me that he is not against Library 2.0 as a concept but rather as a term. I have gladly removed the tag.

Thank you, sir, for taking the time.

Thing #16 - Wiki Way to Go?

I really loved learning about Wikis. I am a fan of Wikipedia (I use it almost daily), but that was the only one I was familiar with.

The issue of Wikis boils down to trust. Can you trust something that is public? I think that lies more with your political beliefs.

That said, when I looked at the Youth Services Wiki, I noticed that it said at the bottom of the page, "You don't have permission to comment on this page." So, apparently you can choose levels of public involvement for your Wiki. That should go a long way to calming fears.

I can see a Wiki like that being very useful to us at FRL. Because we are spread across several libraries, it would be lovely to have a repository for data that we could all access online. For example, right now, we email CATS minutes and information to one another or the group. With a CATS Wiki, we could just post it on the site. That would also allow us to make a digital archive and communicate in whole new ways. I'd be very excited to see that. I liked the way the Youth Services Wiki had all kinds of resources for the Summer Reading Program, too. If FRL had something like that, there would be a potential for wonderful collaboration between libraries and it could certainly provide a wealth of information (and possibly collaboration) for parents. A Wiki could be used internally to disseminate information to the staff. It would allow for a type of FAQ scenario by making staff members' questions or concerns visible. This could save workload of other staff having to answer the same question many times. Also, it could bring us closer as employees to see that others have the same concerns/thoughts that we do.

The possibilities are endless...

Thing #15 - Opposing Viewpoints 2.0

Wow! If I got anything from Thing #15, it was the distinct feeling that one is expected to CHOOSE. There was very little middle ground in the opinions that I read. I seem to remember an old Library Journal cover that faced off Gamers vs. Boomers. That, to me, sums up what this is all about.

I gleaned:

PRO 2.0 - Rick Anderson, Director of Resource Acquisition, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries [Article Away from the “icebergs”] "As a Web 2.0 reality continues to emerge and develop, our patrons will expect access to everything – digital collections of journals, books, blogs, podcasts, etc. You think they can’t have everything? Think again. This may be our great opportunity."

Problem: Library Patrons CAN'T have everything, in fact, they can't even have 1/2 of it thanks to CIPA and with the dreaded DOPA looming on the horizon. This is the biggest iceberg I see. To me, it defeats libraries' purpose of supporting intellectual freedom and undermines the principal of free access to information. Worse, it erodes our individual rights and responsibilities by not letting us as parents decide what is appropriate for our own children to access. The good news is the blogs I have been exposed to through the 23 Things have shown me that I'm not alone in my view.

PRO 2.0 - Michael Stephens Librarian, Blogger [Article Into a new world of librarianship]

This just made me cry for what isn't.

PRO 2.0 - Chip Nilges, OCLC Vice President, New Services [Article To more powerful ways to cooperate]

I am happy to see the public no authentication necessary access to WorldCat. And they allow user contribution. I couldn't find a book through their public site http://www.worldcat.org/ that had a review, though. I'd like to see one or more.

Is this 2.0? - George Bishop, Information Center Director, Ovid-Elsie Schools [Article A rural school district shows how one new service in 1992 put in motion a steady wave of library support]

I think this is carefully planned and thought out 2.0. A small library concentrated not just on maintaining, but on expanding. And they didn't begin by building a bigger building. In fact, they expanded digitally and through inclusion of other libraries' resources. The bigger building came later, after the library was already relevant. I would love to know how their checkout of the digital video and still cameras is working for them. That is a simple and not too expensive resource that could add quite a bit of value. Perhaps we could reach out and contact them.

Is this 2.0? - John Blyberg (B.A. English, University of Maine, 1998) is currently the Head of Technology and Digital Initiatives at Darien Library in Connecticut.In March 2006, John was named a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal. [Blog entry http://www.blyberg.net/2008/01/17/library-20-debased/]

"What I mean is that we cannot expect to retrofit our libraries with tomorrow’s technology. The true pursuit of Library 2.0 involves a thorough recalibration of process, policy, physical spaces, staffing, and technology so that any hand-offs in the patron’s library experience are truly seamless."

I'm not sure. It sounds like a nicely worded postponement to me.

Anti 2.0 - Annoyed Librarian [Blog entry http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/08/librarians-anti-20-manifesto.html]

This blogger, who remains known only as Annoyed Librarian, takes apart the "'Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto' published in the August issue of American Libraries" piece by piece.

Cute tactic that I can appreciate. Didn't change my view, but I could see how the Anti 2.0's feel.

[tag retracted] Walt at Random[Blog entry http://walt.lishost.org/2008/01/the-new-bandwagon-is-the-anti-bandwagon/]

"Fact is, I don’t believe most librarians think public libraries or most academic libraries are on the brink of disaster and need wholesale rethinking, as opposed to continual improvement. (I’m one of those who believes most public and academic libraries are fundamentally healthy and have strong community support–that they should build from strength, usually an iterative process.)"

I think maybe Walt needs to recount his statistics. He didn't cite them, but I suspect that before assuming libraries are healthy and have strong community support, I would like to see studies and numbers to back up that assertion.

Overall, though, I like the Library 2.0 concept. I do however, see its weakness in that I am weary of hearing why it can't be done where we or others are. It only takes a grassroots change to get going. For example, my daughter's school in our small town started a reading/community involvement program (not 2.0 related) that was quite successful and got noticed by a large corporation. The company will now be helping fund the program in schools in many states across the U.S. It all started with one small school in one small town. Wouldn't we love to be the library that gets a similar ball rolling with a new incorporation of a small (or even large :)) 2.0 idea turned into reality?

If I could pick a 2.0 concept that I would like to see implemented to improve service to our patrons, at this moment, it would be the dream of having a staff member who would ideally have an Information Science degree and, maybe experience, but it could be a graduate just starting out, that would be okay, too. The person would have knowledge of web architecture and be able to host a dynamic website. This person's responsibility as a staff member would be to design, build, and maintain a system for our patrons to interact with the library on the web, and through other technologies as they become available and can be implemented. Also, opportunities for more staff involvement and contact with the public through these technologies would be integrated. That's my vision of how to move forward carefully and with our patrons and staff in mind, but move forward nonetheless.

Thing #14 - Google Books

Ooooh, books on cats...

Here is the one I found:

The Rubáíyat of a Persian Kitten

and I can see the whole thing. This really is quite a clever and humorous little book.

I found myself a little bit disappointed to be reading digitally, as there is something uniquely special about holding the actual book in your hands, perhaps having to do with the spirit of the object, but then again I'd likely never get the opportunity to handle the book anyhow and seeing inside is better than nothing. I don't, however, believe that the illustrations scanned in very well. Perhaps that will improve with technology.

In addition, if I found something through my Google search too great to miss in person, then I could plan a special trip to wherever the book was housed or perhaps buy it if a copy were available.

For libraries, I believe this will be a valuable searching tool for patrons and for collection development.

Finally, I don't have copyright concerns about this project. From what I read about the lawsuit and Google Books itself, Google is obeying copyright law. Secondly, even though I obey copyright laws as they stand today myself, this is a subject of great concern to me. I would like to see things changed or at least better thought out. There is an mixed-reviewed book on this subject that I find interesting. It is called Copyrights and copywrongs : the rise of intellectual property and how it threatens creativity by Siva Vaidhyanathan . It is available via Google Book Search with a limited preview, so I invite you to take a look.

Thing #13 - Hmmmm....Del.icio.us?

Well, to start off, I looked for a way to get or use an account; however, all I could find were instructions that involved downloading a toolbar. I am hesitant for two reasons: I believe I read that we are not supposed to download such items to our workstations and I already have a three level toolbar. So, I just decided to explore the site instead.

Here are some of the interesting things I found:

1. On the first day I visited the site, this was in the "tags to watch" category under "shoes". Ian's Shoelace Site - Shoe Lacing Methods. Who knew there were so many ways to tie shoes? This is interesting in that someone took time to build this site. The info is good and useful in certain situations, though.
2. Looking further, I found an article that addresses possible reasons why people create the sites that they do. http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html It is from Clay Shirky’s Writings About the Internet Economics & Culture, Media & Community, Open Source. I located the article in his blog tied to his new book. I'm not sure I understand all the concepts, but it is worth looking into. I apologize to Mr. Shirky that I tried to find out how to use the TrackBack, but I was unsuccessful.
3. Next, I found an article from The New York Review of Books Volume 55, Number 10 · June 12, 2008 By Robert Darnton. The Library in the New Age - The New York Review of Books. Mr. Darnton provides a scholarly view of how he believes libraries should proceed in digital times based on certain aspects of the history of communication.
4. Finally, I searched "public library" and found this link I feel will be very useful to me. http://librivox.org/. 10277 people believed in it enough to mark it. It is free online public domain audiobooks read by volunteers. I will have to find time to listen & someday volunteer.

I find the idea of portable bookmarks intriguing, but I'm not sure how much I would use them. From a research or reference library perspective, I think this tool would be quite useful because it would be accessible from many different computers, allowing you to work from wherever you were. And maybe you could create a set of links for your patron who had a reference question and tag them uniquely so that person could then view them. Sounds good to me.

Thing #12 - the final piece

Oh, yes. For the final piece of #12, I choose a card reader. However, I have a request, if it is possible: if the card readers will not read SDHC (high capacity cards), could I please have the MP3 player instead? Thanks for the great incentives!

Thing #12 - Yin & Yang/Opportunity & Responsiblity

At this point, I feel that I need to revisit my first post and emphasize again the notion that we are all on this journey together. I have had quite a few wonderful teaching experiences during the first 12 things, and I am honored that people have asked for my help in the course of their own journeys. I also have learned much from others during mine.

To me, this is the point of connectivity. We connect to connect, so to speak. My favorite aspect of technology and Web 2.0 is that every day it brings us more and more connections with others.

This great opportunity entails great responsibility, however. We have to work to make sure that, as we march forth into this new digital world, we do not forget the basic premise that there is a human being on the other end, too. If we remember this:

• We will never be tempted to steal the creative works of others [this is especially important because so many people have put wonderful creations on the Internet, and many of them have put works into the public domain]. We must honor that spirit of sharing and generosity and not abuse it.


• We can view the world around us, and ,through learning and connections, bring a little bit more peace to the world.


• As parents, we will teach our children this great responsibility, too, that they may go forth into an even more connected world with knowledge and navigate safely through while protecting creativity and spreading peace.


• As citizens, we will not allow poorly thought out and/or short-sighted legislation to curtail our freedoms or our responsibility.

Uh-oh! 2.0 (or Thing #12--the Beginning)

I just had a very weird experience. Right now I am processing books in here at JCPL. We are adding a copy of "The African Americans of Jackson County : from slavery to integration" by Victoria A. Casey McDonald. It is a superb local history book.

As I was entering it, I flipped through to see some of the photos. Many of the pictures are of the very area in which I now live. Here's the crazy part:

I found myself subconciously trying to figure out how to make the mashup work! I wanted to see the photos with a map overlay and possibly some then and now shots. It's a book--not gonna happen! Still, I found myself wishing that it would and thinking how much better of an experience it would be if it included those things.

So, I can honestly say I understand "Generation D's" yearning for a multi-media experience. I think in the future we will see more and more integrative works, even in the library. I suspect the demand will be there--in some cases I think it already is. More and more books will include CDs or CDROMs or DVDs to "upgrade" the readers experience. Love it or hate it, I believe it's on its way.

Thing #11 - Diggin' Digg

Exploring Digg was a quick and easy experience. It has a very nice layout, and the categories make sense to me. I like the fact that the story source comes first in the description because that allows you to judge the veracity of the source without clicking through.

Digg could come in handy for libraries because it seems to offer a good compilation of news stories on several topics; however, it doesn't appear to be all that tame of a site, especially the comments. I would recommend it with some reservation.

I was able to find a great link that I would never have come across otherwise. It is of snow leopard pictures. I was able to send it to my daughter, too, because I know she is interested in snow leopards.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/winter-photography

Thing #10 - Goodreads

I have been trying to complete #10 for some time now. Goodreads slows my computer down most of the time and completely disables it at other times.

At any rate, I had an account earlier at Helen's urging, so that, at least, was done. You can view my profile at www.goodreads.com/profile/meerclars_child.

I added some books, and I'm guessing tagging means creating new bookshelves because I didn't see another way to tag. If I am missing it, please comment and let me know. I tried to grab a couple from each of my primary reading interests, but I don't have time to add tons and tons--I'm either busy reading them or doing other things. I don't know that I'll utilize this service heavily, but it's nice to know it is there. The main problem I see with it is it usually offers up only "off-the-street" reviews. This doesn't work well for me because the only review I would normally consider reading before reading the book itself would be a professional description/review. And after I've read the book, I'm happy to enter my review, but I probably won't read too many others--it's a time issue. Still, I'm glad to know of it, and I like to occasionally peek at what my coworkers are reading so I don't miss something fabulous that is outside of my typical genres.

I also joined a group called KidLit, which as you may guess is about children's literature, as that is a particular interest of mine. The posts don't seem all that frequent, so maybe I can keep up.

I didn't try to add a widget yet because of the disabling effect the site has on my computer, but maybe later.

Thing #9 - Generator Power

I really had to limit my time with these, as they seemed to slow my computer down to beyond a crawl. Still, I was able to find my Unitarian Jihad Name. [Don't be alarmed by the word "jihad"--we are Unitarian Universalists and we have a different spin on things --see Jon Carroll's article http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/08/DDG27BCFLG1.DTL]

I am known as Sister Howitzer of Enlightened Compassion. Thank you.

And I had to do a little motivator (though I usually like the "demotivators" better http://www.despair.com/)

Here's mine:

Thing #8 Continued...the fun stuff!

I had to finish up Thing #8 with the fun stuff from Flickr. I tried Delivr, and then taught my daughter to use it. It is simple and fun. I enjoy the little e-postcards. And so many people have so much in the Creative Commons, there are tons of images to choose from. I also just get such a big kick out of Retriver. I can't draw, but it still found just the images I was looking for. What a neat concept! This will come in VERY handy when I'm having a creative moment and need to add just the right photo (that is, any cat photo :)).

Thing #8 - Rural Mashups smash up

I looked at some of the mashups, but I'm not sure I found the good ones. I tried the popular Earthquake link, and it made my computer snag as well as trying to bring me a virus (thanks, IT, for the virus protection). I never did get it to load. I think I understand the concept, and it seems cool. For me, I lose interest, though, because none of them seem to work for stuff close to home. In my experience, though, only Google's info (maps, in particular) is accurate at a local level. [Note: I will offer a warning from personal experience--don't rely on Mapquest driving directions in rural Western North Carolina.]

Still, I clicked on a few. One I tried was "Lunchbox". The only restaurant it listed was the Huddle House on 441. Honestly, can't anyone do better than that? Lulu's has been mentioned in a popular magazine. You'd think it would be on somebody's radar. The others I clicked on got very quirky locally, too. LookLocal choked on driving directions from Waynesville to Sylva and at one point said, "Use Local Roads". Well, that clears it right up. Still, overall, the directions would have sufficed. Mapified Kayak didn't consider Asheville, NC to be a destination airport. It only went as far as Charlotte. Mezzoman was a simple and cool concept. It found places in Waynesville and Clyde as halfway points between Sylva and Asheville. Good enough.

I hope as more people get connected, we'll have more info filled in for our area. I'm looking forward to it.

Thing #7 Part B and C

Taking pictures--LOVE IT!!! I also love "photoshopping" or photo editing my images. So, I used a couple of photo editing programs--LunaPic and Adobe Photoshop--to doctor the pictures I took in the library. For a fun little game, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/26553386@N06/sets/

and look in the set called "What's In Your Library?". See if you can figure out what the original object looks like. After guessing, you can view the original pics in the "What's In Your Library-Original Pics (Spoilers!)" set.

Here's one for a teaser:

Neonasaurus?

P.S. - I tried and tried to get these to show up on a search for Fontana Regional Library, but I must be doing something wrong. I used quotes, no dice. So, please bear with my link, instead.

Thing #7 - Explore Flickr (the beginning...)

At the outset, I wondered what inspired the name Flickr. After a search, I still wonder. But, on to the functionality. I am working on the second option, but I still wanted to get familiar with the site, so I clicked around a bit. I find I am not at all used to the Yahoo! interface. It seems big and there's a lot "below the fold", even in 1024x768. It looks very elementary to me because of this. Now that I have created an account (which was astonishingly easy), it greets me with a non-smiling face --that's okay, though, that's about how I feel about it, too, thus far-lukewarm. On to Part B...

Oh, Meez--Oh, my

I have jumped right on the bandwagon and created my very own Meez. Did anyone else experience disappointment that Meez did not offer realistic options? The company's huge violation of acceptance of differences aside, there ARE some of us who are not ashamed to show ourselves as we are. The largest Meez body type was quite small, in fact. Why aren't larger people entitled to a Meez more reflective of themselves? The one that got me, though, was the age. All the Meez look like they are 16-20. Would it be so difficult to create an option for people who are older than that? And what about people whose bodies are different--wheelchairs, prosthetic or missing limbs, and on and on? Don't those folks get to play? Sadly, there are more as the war goes on, and they are young people who might be interested in having an avatar that represents them and their sacrifices.

I am going to forward these same questions to Meez and see what response I can get. We shall see.

Thing #6 - RSS/Google Reader II

Ok, still working with feeds here...still don't think it's gonna grow on me, but my mom always told me that if you are going to dislike someone or something, you must first find one good thing about it. I can see feeds being more helpful in straight up news site-type info. You wouldn't be missing any creative background or design and you could just skim and decide if it is anything you'd like to read--and you wouldn't be worried about hurting the news company's feelings. I'm not a big news fan, but some people are and it could be a help to them. It strikes me as sort of a klunky filter.


As to feeds affecting the way I search for information, I agree with Michelle--I don't think it will. I prefer a Google search as my primary resource. I tried doing a couple of searches in Google Reader on the types of subjects I would typically search. I discovered that what I don't want is someone's random opinions on a subject. I want real info. Years of research have led me to sites I know and trust on some general subjects, and I tend to start there.

For finding links, I found Technorati too "busy" in its design for my taste. However, I was able to successfully navigate it after a while. Google Reader was acceptable, but it gave me a terrible time when trying to look up and links on more than one subject. I had to use my Back button and then choose the option of returning to the discovery page. Then, you still had to use the tab from there to get to the search. I don't understand why there isn't just a "New Search" type button on the results page. Finally, I never could make one of those links you find on the websites themselves work. It seemed my sites either wanted to add themselves to the IE feed feature or Yahoo. I will ask for some assistance on this later and give an update.

I can think of a couple of ways that feeds could be useful to libraries:

• Being familiar with them will allow staff to answer questions and educate patrons
• Book and audiobook review sites could be useful for staff wishing to find items for a Readers' Advisory or for collection development--I added a couple of these from Library Journal to my feeds

I do like the book review feeds, and I think I will get use out of them. Still, my favorite feed is www.icanhascheezburger.com --I need my lolcats! [and it is, after all, work-related in that we should know a bit about what our young patrons are interested in--Sarah said so :)] At home, www.fark.com runs a close second, but it is too "R" rated for work computers.

For weirdest feeds, I had to go back and try a re-do from the earliest days of my web surfing. In 1995, one of my friends in the barracks had an AOL account that about 10 of us shared. The internet was much freer in those days, for better or worse :) We were exploring its capabilities and trying to find the weirdest things we could. I remember being amazed that there was a "Gum Disease" chat room. Who gets on there and chats about gum disease? Patients? Dentists? Weird. So, I looked again now, and, sure enough, there are blogs on gum disease. Some things don't change. I also think "Stuff on My Cat" is a very strange site, although now it seems to be attempting (and not achieving) a move in the lolcat direction. However, I think the weirdest feeds I found were blogs on Internet Addiction. Srsly, if you feel like you suffer from Internet Addiction, I think the last thing you need to be doing is adding blogs on it to your feed. Step away from the computer...

Thing #5 - RSS/Google Reader

Okay, okay, I completed Thing #5. I have to say, I don't intend to use this service. People are creative and set up their blogs in a certain way for a reason. Reader strips all the creativity right out. I will not ever be in too much of a hurry to actually listen to (well, read their blogs in the originally designed fashion, in this case) people with whom I choose to communicate. Part of the interest for me in blog reading is feeling like I am invited into someone's parlor or kitchen or whatever, depending on the blog they have designed. If I choose to read it, I choose to accept that invitation. I wouldn't say, "Friends, I really don't have very much time to socialize with you. While I appreciate the invitation to your home, I think it would be easier for me to have you all come here and stand in my driveway and quickly run through whatever it is you think you have to say while I am walking out to my car or mowing my lawn or whatever." I love technology and connectivity, but I draw the line at this abberation.

Thing #4 - Registration

Perhaps this is the easiest of the 23 Things. All I had to do was shoot Sarah an email with a hyperlink. And yet...there is this lovely list of everyone's blogs and I simply must read and check them every day to see what is new. Oh, dear. :)

Blogging on Blogging

So, we have come to Thing #3. I have created this blog. I found using Blogger to be quite simple. I did choose to create a Gmail account as the primary for this blog as I don't care to have too much associated with my work email address. And, as I had a Gmail account for my family already, I went ahead and set up a blog for us at home, too. (If you are interested, we can be found at www.espressoyourfelines.blogspot.com). It wasn't hard to convince them to hop on board, either.

I am enjoying blogging. I like to write, so it is easy for me. The issues I have encountered are the same as some of the other bloggers--that is, I can't get Blogger to save my fonts and spacing, etc. correctly. I have not yet figured this out, but I will continue trying. All other aspects of working Blogger seem to be going quite smoothly.

The main issue that I have, though, is that I love it. I could devote lots of time to my blog and happily not even realize it until too late. My saving grace is that I write fast, and so it doesn't take me all that long to create entries. Still, I am also tempted to read everyone else's blogs, too. I have to be quite firm in reminding myself to "get back to work". OTOH, this is part of our work for right now, so I feel good about it in that regard. Learning is great!

Play!

Last but not least! I also struggle with this one. It isn’t that I don’t like to play. I just use the excuse that I don’t have time. I have work, a family to take care of, projects I am working on, and so on, and so on, and so on… I know the benefits, but I am going to have to build it into my schedule and keep the promise to do it. Who thought play could be such hard work!

Teach and mentor others

This is definitely the hardest of the 7 ½ things for me. I don’t mind sharing information, but I am not good at teaching at all. I am trying to share some good info in this blog, and I hope some of you readers find it helpful. I am really going to have to stretch myself to accomplish this one. I will keep thinking about it, and maybe set some goals.

Use technology to your advantage

This ties right in to the learning toolbox. We have fabulous resources at our disposal that we could only dream of 15 years ago. Pick a subject, and there is probably a website about it. Maybe several. Some of these sites lead you to written information on your subject, some have visual and oral presentations, and some will lead you to others who would like to discuss the subject with you. Some sites/programs I like:

• Fave Rave – Adobe Photoshop—fun and professional quality photo editing and restoration. The learning curve is high, but I love it, love it! It allows so much more creativity than other photo editing software that I have played with.
• Great Tech Website for general purposes – www.cnet.com Here you will find a wealth of technical information from forums to equipment reviews to blogs/news to free online courses (I haven’t taken any, but I plan to during the course of my 23 things)
• Best Place to learn/discuss Parenting issues – www.ivillage.com Talk to other parents on a variety of topics or find parents like you on the extensive bulletin boards on this site. This is a very easy-to-use, friendly, and well-moderated site. It would be a fine place to experiment with bulletin board use. There are many other discussion topics on the site, but I am only familiar with the parenting related ones.

Create your own Learning Toolbox

I scrapbook, and that’s how I relate to this one. I have to come up with an idea for a page (my goal) and then I have to gather my supplies that will allow me to make my page successfully (my toolbox), and boy was I filling my toolbox last night at Michael's in Asheville. They were having a great sale!

What I am beginning to learn is that tools aren’t always what you expect them to be. In some cases you need writing and archiving tools to help you complete your learning project. These could be as simple as a pen and paper for notes and a to-do list. Some new ideas I’ve been playing with, though, are online/computer resources. I have found many calendar sites out there, and Microsoft Outlook has one or you can make a printable calendar in Microsoft Word or Publisher. There are forums on just about anything where you can share your experiences and ask questions. Which brings me to a resource that I am going to try to learn to tap—people. I never really considered that people could be part of your toolbox, but now I see how that is a great idea. I just visited some gardening sites to find out if I could learn what I need to do to save my Christmas cactus. I ran across 2 or 3 that addressed my situation directly. Then, to further follow up on my weak area, I asked a co-worker in person. Not only did she confirm what I had read, she had more advice.

I really must consider people as a resource more often! Where else do you get to use people and they get to use you and everyone ends up happy and fulfilled :)

Accept responsibility/View problems as challenges/Have confidence

For these, I have the United States Marine Corps to thank. When I first had to say, “No excuse, ma’am,” I thought it was a bit silly. I thought to myself, of course if I had not done what was needed, it was because I had an excuse. But I came to realize that the point was that you don’t fiddle around with excuses—it isn’t necessary. You just stand up, take responsibility, and fix the problem. And, the problem IS really just a challenge and an opportunity to learn. There are no two ways about this. Every problem is a learning opportunity. It can teach you anything from a desire not to make that mistake a second time to thinking way outside the box to extract yourself from an undesirable situation.

And, have confidence—I didn't, but I found a way to gain it--What a gift! I was a pitifully shy kid. I would often cry if someone tried to talk to me. Now, I am a confident speaker who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind. I got this from the military, but I am in no way suggesting that this is the only way. Joining a book club would be a great low-key confidence builder for sharing ideas. Going back to school or taking a writing workshop also allows you to work on communicating your ideas to people who will listen.

Note to self: find a writing workshop around this area.

Beginning with the End in Mind

Of all the 7 1/2 things, this is my most recent acquisition. When I was at my mother-in-law’s house over Thanksgiving, she shared a DVD with us. Both my husband and I were reluctant to see it because we usually don’t spend time on self-help/inspirational videos, but we agreed to watch it because we love and respect her. Was I ever happy I did! The program was “The Secret” based on the book by Rhonda Byrne. Now, there has been plenty of Law of Attraction stuff floating around for years, but I was never able to embrace it. I always end up thinking of every negative scenario that could possibly happen—I think of it as prior planning. In the past year or so, though, I have begun to realize that despite my “prior planning”, I am still no better prepared for the negative things that come my way. Because of this video, I have decided to block my prior planning thoughts and concentrate on my goals as if there was a foregone conclusion that they would come to pass.

Currently, I am planning to learn to speak Spanish. It will be a third language for me, and I think it will open up a whole new world of communication. I hope I will be able to use in my work to serve patrons better. There are two six-week courses that I plan to take. Now, instead of thinking: “I can’t possibly learn a new language in just twelve weeks!” “I won’t be able to find anyone who is willing to be patient enough to speak to me while I am learning and when I make mistakes!” “The spoken language is usually so fast that I won’t be able to catch up!” I plan on welcoming the right teacher into my life when the time comes. I already know that I am a fast learner when it comes to language arts, so twelve weeks should be no problem if I am easy with my goal. I don’t need to be completely fluent to make a difference. It is hard work to plan for the good stuff, but I am finding it much more fun. As my husband says--

“Leap and a net shall appear!”

My 7 ½ Habits

Wow!

Yes, here I am trying to figure out how I relate to the 7 ½ habits of lifelong learning. I hadn’t heard of this particular set of ideas, but I find that I have been working with most of them separately for quite a while. Some come easily to me and I struggle with others. I tend to be a journaler, so I think I will explore my reactions and thoughts in writing in upcoming posts.

Thing #1 - Introduction

I am really looking forward to this. I think it may be the most fun training activity I have participated in at FRL. I also believe that libraries are struggling to incorporate newer technologies into their missions, and I will be excited to see how learning these skills will ultimately benefit our patrons. Reader's advisory? Blogging for PR? Online reference interviews? The sky's the limit!

Welcome to the Journey

Put on your comfy shoes and let's go

...every journey begins with the first step.

I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you.